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☆ Ukraine seeks to prevent military leaks after NATO assistance plans reportedly appear on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine," it said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.

☆ Arrested WSJ reporter could become 'bargaining chip' following West's success in smashing Russia's suspected global spy rings, ex-CIA officer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Numerous countries have detained or expelled suspected Russian spies in recent months. The arrest comes after several countries detained or expelled hundreds of suspected Russian spies in the preceding weeks and months. Hundreds of suspected Russian spies have been expelledSergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, pictured in Russian military uniform Department of JusticeLast week, documents released by the Department of Justice revealed the dramatic story of an accused Russian spy. In a similar case in Australia in February, a local newspaper reported that authorities expelled a large Russian spy ring — whose members were posing as diplomats — from the country. Countries across Scandinavia have also made a significant clampdown on those accused of Russian espionage, Politico reports.

☆ George W. Bush misrepresented our work at CIA to sell the Iraq invasion. It's time to call him what he is: 'A liar.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Two former CIA officials spoke to Insider before the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. They gave a firsthand account of the George W. Bush administration's attempts to misrepresent intelligence and assert a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. The closest they came was this alleged, and apparently nonexistent, help that Iraq gave al-Qaeda [via Atta] in bringing about the attacks. Alice: Today, people say that Bush was looking to justify the invasion of Iraq. Pretty soon it became clear that the administration was focused on this alleged meeting between Atta and Iraqi intelligence in Prague.

☆ Ukraine, Russia locked in brutal battle in Bakhmut, casualties mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Men stand near buildings damaged in recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, March 12, 2023. "In less than a week, starting from the 6th March, we managed to kill more than 1,100 enemy soldiers in the Bakhmut sector alone, Russia's irreversible loss, right there, near Bakhmut," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. Russian forces sustained 1,500 "sanitary losses", soldiers wounded badly enough to keep them out of action, Zelenskiy said. Dozens of pieces of enemy equipment were destroyed as were more than 10 Russian ammunition depots, he said. ($1 = 0.9396 euros)Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Himani Sarkar; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine, Russia say hundreds of enemy troops killed in battle for Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Nick Starkov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A Ukrainian serviceman looks on from a tank near the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 7, 2023. Serhiy Cherevatyi, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, said that 221 pro-Moscow troops were killed and more than 300 wounded in Bakhmut. Russia's defence ministry said that up to 210 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the broader Donetsk part of the frontline. While Moscow did not specify Bakhmut casualties, the eastern Donetsk town, now nearly deserted, has been the site of one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the year-long war. Writing by David Ljunggren and Lidia Kelly; editing by Grant McCool and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ British RAF chief calls it 'unacceptable' for China to recruit western military pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, March 2 (Reuters) - Britain's air force chief says it was "unacceptable" its former pilots were being recruited to train Chinese military, and intelligence agencies in Australia and Britain had shared information to warn pilots against working for Beijing. In October Britain said it would change the law to make it an offence for a former military pilot to continue training a foreign military after being warned by British intelligence agencies to stop. The Royal Air Force's Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston told the ABC in an interview at the Avalon Air Show in Australia the warnings were about China. Australia's spy chief last week hit out in his annual security threat assessment at former military pilots who turn to working for authoritarian regimes, describing them as "lackeys, more 'top tools' than 'top guns'". Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia shot down several of its own planes in the early days of invading Ukraine, leaving it with few willing pilots, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia downed some of its own planes at the start of the war in Ukraine, a former US official said. As a result, Russia started running out of experienced pilots willing to fly, officials told the FT.A lack of pilots scuppered Russia's ability to control the skies, per several earlier reports. The FT in a Thursday report cited two Western officials and a Ukrainian official who spoke of the friendly-fire incidents. A view of destroyed armored SU-34 fighter jet belonging to Russian forces after Russian forces withdrawn from the city of Lyman in Donetsk. The think tank said Russia began committing instructor pilots to combat operations, hindering its ability to train anyone else.

☆ Shamima Begum, British-born woman who joined IS, loses appeal over citizenship removal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The British government took away Shamima Begum's citizenship on national security grounds in 2019, shortly after she was found in a detention camp in Syria. Begum would have to take the case directly to the Court of Appeal in London if she wishes to challenge Wednesday's decision, according to legislation which covers the tribunal. Begum, who is currently being held in the al-Roj detention camp in north-eastern Syria, argued that the Home Office failed to investigate whether she was a "child victim of trafficking". Judge Robert Jay found there was a "credible suspicion" that Begum was trafficked to Syria for the purposes of "sexual exploitation". But the judge ruled that a finding that Begum may have been trafficked was not enough for her appeal to succeed.

☆ 30,000 Wagner Group fighters have been killed or injured in Putin's invasion of Ukraine, says White House spokesman
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

More than 30,000 Wagner Group fighters have been killed or injured, according to US officials. John Kirby said that half of the Wagner fighters who perished in the war have died since mid-December. Kirby stated that, according to US intelligence, 90% of the Wagner Group soldiers killed in the last two and a half months were convicts. While the Wagner Group has made limited advances in Bakhmut, Kirby said this gain has come at a "devastating cost that is not sustainable." According to British intelligence, 40-60,000 Russian soldiers and Wagner Group fighters have been killed since February 2022.

☆ Russia tried to shuffle spies around Europe after they got kicked out, but everyone already knows who they are
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia keeps trying to put its spies into new cities after they get kicked out of European countries. An official told the Washington Post that Russia will keep trying anyway, likely out of desperation. But since everyone knows who their spies are, Russia is struggling to move them around to new assignments after the operatives get kicked out of countries in Europe, the Post reported. But, the Western official said that none of Russia's attempts to reposition its spies have been successful, to his knowledge. "We have no illusions that the Russians will keep on trying," the anonymous official told the Post.

☆ Exclusive: British authorities surveilled FBI spy chief Charles McGonigal's secret 2018 meeting with a Russian contact
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An FBI spy chief's secret meeting with a Russian contact was detected by UK officials. McGonigal should have realized that the London meeting would be noticed, one source said. During his years in New York, McGonigal oversaw 150 FBI agents tasked with shadowing foreign operatives and turning them into spies for the US. He would have had intimate knowledge of surveillance penetration in world capitals, which makes the London meeting all the more mystifying. McGonigal had investigated Russian operatives earlier in his career, but it is unclear whether he was involved with the FBI's Deripaska recruitment effort.

☆ Russia likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles in failed attack on Vuhledar: UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 10 (Reuters) - Russian forces likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles during a failed attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar, British intelligence said on Friday. "Russian troops likely fled and abandoned at least 30 mostly intact armoured vehicles in a single incident after a failed assault," Britain's defence ministry said in a daily briefing. Russia's defence ministry has not commented on the report but it says military operations near Vuhledar and the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine - which Russia has been trying to encircle - are progressing well. "Thirty-one armoured vehicles of the 155th Separate Guards Marine Brigade from the Russian Pacific Fleet were destroyed during an assault on Vuhledar," the Moscow Calling military blogger said. Grey Zone, the semi-official Telegram channel of the Wagner mercenary group, said in a post that "a disaster is unfolding around Vuhledar, and it is unfolding again and again".

[1/3] Vladislav Klyushin, an owner of an information technology company with ties to the Russian government, is seen in an undated photograph attached to a U.S. Department of Justice filing. of Justice/Handout via REUTERSBOSTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - A wealthy Russian businessman with ties to the Kremlin faces trial on Monday on U.S. charges that he participated in a vast scheme that generated tens of millions of dollars in illegal trading profits using corporate information stolen through hacking. The three-week trial comes at a low point in U.S.-Russia relations following Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine last year. And while the case against Klyushin, who has pleaded not guilty, predates the war, his connections to the Kremlin have long intrigued U.S. authorities. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump and lawyer sanctioned almost $1 million for 'frivolous' lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge on Thursday imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions on former President Donald Trump and his lawyer for filing a since-dismissed "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and many others, which had claimed they tried to rig the 2016 presidential election in her favor by smearing Trump. Middlebrooks in his order Thursday noted that "Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries." "He knew full well the impact of his actions ... As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, filed his suit in March against Clinton, who was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. Middlebrooks earlier dismissed the lawsuit against Clinton and all other defendants "with prejudice," which bars Trump from refiling the complaint.

☆ Russia plans to send its strongest tanks to drive around Ukraine but is too scared to put them in combat, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia may deploy its new T-14 Armata tanks in Ukraine, British intelligence said Thursday. But it is "unlikely to trust" the tank in combat given problems in its development, it said. "If Russia deploys T-14, it will likely primarily be for propaganda purposes," it concluded. "Production is probably only in the low tens, while commanders are unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat." The T-14 isn't the only advanced combat vehicle Russia appears to be using mostly for show in Ukraine.

☆ Iran video links detained British-Iranian to death of nuclear scientist
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Iranian state media published a video on Thursday in which British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, sentenced to death for spying, said he played a role in the 2020 assassination of the country's top nuclear scientist. Iran sentenced the former deputy defence minister, who holds dual Iranian-British citizenship, to death on charges of spying for Britain, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday. British officials did not immediately comment about the video clips aired by Iran's state media. Iran’s state media often airs purported confessions by suspects in politically charged cases. "He was one of the most important agents of the British intelligence service in Iran who had access to some very sensitive centres in the country," Iran's Intelligence Ministry said.

☆ Russia is holding back on using its most advanced fighter jets over Ukraine because it's scared they will get shot down, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is using its most advanced combat jets against Ukraine, British intelligence said Monday. But the jets are only firing missiles into Ukraine from Russian territory, the brief added. Russia is keeping them back over worries about "reputational damage" if they're shot down, it said. In its latest intelligence update, the UK's Ministry of Defence said Moscow has "almost certainly" used Su-57 Felon fighter jets to conduct missions against Ukraine since at least June 2022. "These missions have likely been limited to flying over Russian territory, launching long-range air-to-surface or air-to-air missiles into Ukraine," the brief said.

☆ Russia is considering plans to expand its military by around 30%, to 1.5 million troops, says British intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin was given a plan to boost Russia's military by 30%, to 1.5 million personnel, the UK MOD said. It is not clear when Russia would have these new troops and how it would get them, the UK MOD added. Sweden and Russian neighbor Finland applied to join NATO in May, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and are close to the end of the process. Russia's army has struggled since its invasion of Ukraine, with widespread reports and intelligence updates highlighting poor training and low morale among its troops. In September, Russia announced a partial mobilization of an additional 300,000 troops, which it said was completed in October.

☆ Russia appears to have run out of the deadly Iranian-made drones it's been using to terrorize Ukraine, Western officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia appears to be out of Iranian-made drones, Western officials said Tuesday. US officials had warned over the summer that Iran was preparing to send drones to Russia, and then the weapons first saw battlefield action in early September. A Russian drone, considered by Ukrainian authorities to be an Iranian-made Shahed-136, over Kyiv on October 17, 2022. These 440-pound weapons are relatively slow, fly at low altitudes, and carry a small explosive payload, according to Western intelligence. It's not immediately clear how many Iranian-made drones Russia had in it's arsenal.

☆ Ukraine is getting more THeMIS robots, ground vehicles that Russian troops have been offered $16,000 to capture
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine will receive 14 more THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles, manufacturer Milrem Robotics said Tuesday. A Russian think tank previously offered a bounty for the capture of one of these vehicles. "Automating these tasks with unmanned vehicles alleviates that danger and allows more soldiers to stay in a safe area or be tasked for more important activities." Evacuation robot (unmanned ground vehicle) THeMIS seen on a dusty road during the field tests in Kyiv, Ukraine. At the time, a spokesperson for Milrem Robotics told Insider: "We take the bounty as a compliment."

☆ The CIA is looking for Russians who are 'disgusted' with the Ukraine war to recruit as spies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The CIA's deputy director of operations said last week the agency is looking for Russian recruits. Marlowe added the CIA is looking for Russians who are "disgusted" with the war in Ukraine. "He squandered every single bit of that," Marlowe said, before adding: "We're looking around the world for Russians who are as disgusted with [Putin's actions] as we are. Marlowe was speaking alongside CIA Deputy Director for Analysis Linda Weissgold in his first in-person public appearance since taking over as the CIA's espionage chief last year, according to the Journal. CIA Director William Burns appointed Marlowe as the agency's deputy director of operations in June 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported.

☆ Russian troops are building new defensive positions nearly 40 miles behind current front lines, a sign they're planning for more retreats, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian troops are making new defensive positions miles behind the front lines, the UK said Friday. British intelligence said that these new positions suggest the Russian military is planning for more retreats. Ukrainian troops last week entered the southern city of Kherson after Russian President Vladimir Putin's defense chief ordered a retreat across the Dnipro (also called Dnieper) River. A Ukrainian tank is seen as Ukrainian Armed Forces' military mobility continue toward Kherson front in Ukraine on November 9, 2022. According to a recent assessment by the Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces have continued to attack Bakhmut, though Ukrainian forces have so far managed to repel the assaults.

☆ Europe has kicked out over 400 suspected Russian spies this year alone, British intelligence chief says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Europe booted over 400 Russian officials suspected of being spies this year, the MI5 chief said. Ken McCallum said this gave a "most significant strategic blow" to Russia's intelligence agencies. "Alongside the wave of expulsions, the other part of that template is staying the course and preventing Russian intelligence restocking," McCallum said. "In the UK's case, since our removal of 23 Russian spies posing as diplomats, we have refused on national security grounds over 100 Russian diplomatic visa applications." Russian spies and operatives have been suspected of carrying out attacks like bombings, poisonings, sabotage, and assassination attempts for years, and Europe has tried to combat Moscow's increasingly hostile activities in other countries.

☆ UK MI5 chief says expulsion of Russian spies has delivered significant blow
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Summary UK spy chief says Russian aggression will last yearsMore than 400 Russian spies expelled from Europe, he saysChina playing 'long game' to influence future UK assetsLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The expulsion of more than 400 suspected Russian spies from across Europe this year has struck the "most significant strategic blow" against Moscow in recent history and taken Vladimir Putin by surprise, Britain's domestic spy chief said. McCallum said Britain had refused more than 100 Russian diplomatic visa applications on national security grounds since then. "The serious point is that the UK must be ready for Russian aggression for years to come," he said. The spy chief also said Chinese authorities were monitoring and intimidating the Chinese diaspora, with action ranging from forcible repatriation to assault. "To intimidate and harass UK nationals or those who have made the UK their home cannot be tolerated," McCallum said.

☆ Ukrainian special forces commander says Russia doesn't like waging war at night, so his troops need gear to fight in the dark
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces don't like waging their war against Ukraine at night, said a Ukrainian commander. The commander said on a podcast that Ukrainian troops need gear to fight in the dark. Gen. Viktor Khorenko said his troops need gear while appearing on an episode of the "War on the Rocks" podcast published on Monday. But Khorenko said that Ukrainian troops could use advanced technology like night vision devices from the West to increase their night fighting capabilities. "Night vision capability is a precious commodity, further exacerbating the unwillingness to fight at night," British intelligence noted.

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